The university campus is a convergence of the best of times and the worst of times. Students come from all over the world to study in Canada, and when they arrive, they are met with a new set of potential experiences, while also taking on more responsibility. They have the stress of juggling syllabi while also trying to contend with the pull of going out with friends, partying, and the prevalence and availability of drugs and alcohol, and these same temptations are present for both Christians and those who do not yet know Jesus.
The reality of campus life is that students are questioning everything from their politics, worldview and faith to their identity and sexuality. In campus ministry, we get to step into these questions with them and help them discover responses that are rooted in Scripture. But when trying to reach the unreached students, the question becomes, “How do I engage them with the gospel?”
This is where Red Frogs excels. Red Frogs is an international support network that exists to safeguard a generation. We do this by being a positive peer presence, to empower young people (ages 18-30) to make positive life choices and be a voice of change within their culture. Red Frogs started in Australia in 1997 when a local youth pastor saw a need for safeguarding at a massive festival called Schoolies where students engaged in a week of drugs, sex and drinking with no supervision. He went, spent time with his students, and kept them safe. The event organizers were so pleased that they invited him to bring a team the following year. Each subsequent year, the team grew until it became the largest support network in Australia. It expanded from there to New Zealand, South Africa, U.K., France, Thailand, U.S.A., and came to Canada in 2011.
In 2024, Red Frogs Support Network Canada served over 54,000 students on 23 campuses across Canada. Many of the events included students binge drinking and consuming other substances. At these types of events, our teams often set up Hydration Stations, where they give out cups of water and mini donuts. This meets a physical need; the water helps prevent alcohol poisoning, and the donuts help soak up the alcohol in their stomachs. Our teams will watch for students who are in danger, intervene in situations where women are preyed upon, and connect students with the services they need—be it police, EMS, security or counselling. The surface goal is to keep students safe from the effects of substances consumed, prevent sexual violence, and be a positive peer presence. While doing this, our teams build relationships with students and sometimes provide diversionary activities to prevent students from over-consuming substances. While alcohol-fuelled events are where Red Frogs has made its name, our teams also serve at dry events, such as sporting events, campus groups fairs, homecoming events, and more.
Our teams are often asked why they serve because there is something deeply fascinating about serving with no strings attached. Jesus evangelized through fascination; He would serve—turning water into wine, walking on water, and healing the sick—and then, people would lean in and ask questions. While Red Frogs is not miraculous, there is something deeply fascinating to students about it. They do not understand why someone would serve them without asking for anything in return. So, when they ask why, it opens doors for spiritual conversation through which the gospel can be shared, connections made, and faith sparked or catalyzed. Someone once said that the world has no argument for the towel and the wash basin. This is proven true through Red Frogs; our campuses have no argument against keeping students safe and providing healthy pathways to connection and relationships.
Through Red Frogs, we have kept countless students safe from possible medical emergencies, helped them get the professional help they need when emergencies do arise, and even intercepted and prevented sexual violence. While serving through Red Frogs, our teams get access to places and spaces not traditionally open to the church, and we sometimes get to share the Good News with those who have not and will not (yet) darken the doors of a church building. Using Red Frogs as a tool, we have been able to welcome so many prodigal sons and daughters home, making faith real for the least, the last, and the lost.
My first Red Frogs event was in 2015 at a campus in Toronto, Ont. We were invited by the student union to set up a Hydration Station at the final concert of Frosh Week. The pivotal moment for me was watching 6,000 students sing along with artists performing the most drug-and-alcohol-infused, sexualized, misogynistic lyrics you can imagine. I stood there watching with tears in my eyes because of what they were glamorizing, but I was so thankful that we were able to be there, serving thousands of cups of water, meeting students, and keeping them safe. Red Frogs was invited to go to an event where the church was not welcome, and that is a beautiful and powerful thing.
Over the years, we have had many students connect with campus ministries and churches because they met a Red Frogs team who served them, kept them safe, and welcomed them into community. We almost always get asked why we serve, and we’re ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Jesus. We’ll continue to safeguard a generation, wherever young people gather, until all have heard, Because We Must.
David Burke is the national director of Red Frogs Support Network Canada and a Mission Canada worker, pastoring a campus church called LifeLine at Toronto Metropolitan University. David is married to his best friend, Krysten, with whom he has two kids. You can donate at https://paoc.org/canada/workers/rfc. This article appeared in the January/February/March 2026 issue of testimony/Enrich, a quarterly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. © 2026 The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Photo above © istockphoto.com. Pictured below: David Burke with a Red Frogs team. Photo © Mission Canada.